Monday, September 28, 2009

BANGALORE: You may not be getting water regularly, yet you may have to pay water and sewerage taxes. This, in addition to the sanitary chargesyou now pay.

However, there could be some relief. For, these could be annual taxes fixed according to the size of the property, on the lines of property tax. Sewerage charges are being proposed for those premises that have private drains connecting to the BWSSB sewers.

With Greater Bangalore bringing in more number of apartments and households into BWSSB’s fold, the water board has sent a proposal to the government recently seeking the levy of these new taxes, more penalties for delayed payments, imprisonment and hefty fines for water theft in line with the Electricity Act and water-sewage disconnection for illegal premises. Comprehensive amendments to the BWSSB Act 1964 have been sought in this regard.

“For effective enforcement of provisions of BWSSB Act, it is felt necessary to increase the quantum of punishment for offences. Sewage collection, conveyance and disposal involve huge costs whereas there is no provision to collect sewerage charges in the Act. There is a need to levy interest on delayed payments,’’ the authorities have said in their proposal.

There is a move to revise the prorate charges too. “In view of the construction of apartments in Bangalore Metropolitan Area, the collection of prorate charges to meet the cost of improvement of water supply and sewerage systems has become necessary. So, there is a need to include definitions of apartment, prorate charges, metropolitan area and high-rise buildings in the BWSSB Act,’’ the authorities explained.